Scared to Speak
by Lovina R. Vargas
Summary: This Canadian boy knew he wasn't special. He wasn't very manly or sexy, rich, famous, or even noticeable. Why does his relationship have to emphasize that for him? He's never been this insecure before in his life! If only there was someone to turn to when his life was beating him down so badly like this. PruCan and CuCan.
1. Chapter 1

Matthew Williams was an official senior high school student.

It took almost all of his strength and dignity not to shout it out to the entire world about how excited he was to start a new year with his friends. He closed his secret journal and happily walked out of his room. Tonight, he and his guardian were going to be out celebrating his new year at a restaurant with his fellow "gang members". Francis felt lucky he had his little boy to bring along with him. He was tired of going alone. Well, he wasn't entirely alone. He had his childhood friends to talk nonsense to. But it still wasn't right for him. So he was elated that Matthew was only one year behind of being able to stay inside a bar without any parental guidance. Yet he still followed along behind him wherever he went.

"Francis? Are we still going to the restaurant?" Matt asked him. Francis was ready and full of happiness.

"Of course, Mathieu!" he replied. "I just got off the phone with Antonio. They said they're already there and have been waiting forever." And then they were off.

**~ (^_^) ~**

The fancy restaurant was crowded and noisy and full of elderly people. It must've been a day for all the seniors to get free meals or something. The lights were dimmed and the tables were built in solid black marble and glass. There were lots of potted plants lurking around the dark corners and the detailed portraits stared down at the guests dining in the fancy seats. It was such a swell joint. The other two were seated in a long booth next to the most openly viewed window in the whole restaurant. Matthew had trouble trying to recognize their faces. It had been a long time since the last reunion with these friends. It was a little bit after Matthew was born and taken into the care of Francis Bonnefoy. The smiling Frenchman held his boy's hand firmly as he dragged him to the occupied, polished table in the back.

"Bonjour, my fellow idiots!" he greeted them.

"Hola! Man, where have you been? We thought you were gonna totally ditch us!" Antonio said. The two sat down next to the Spaniard, Antonio and his little henchman, Lovino. Of course that Italian was bored and not in the spirit to be where he was. It was really simple to catch from the frown on his face and the wrinkle in his eyebrow. There was another man in the picture. His hair was snowy white and his eyes were ruby red. He seemed to be one of the tallest; his legs were long and arms were thick. He wasn't exactly masculine in the least. He wore a black shirt with a jean jacket to compliment it. Matthew tried not to stare at him. Instead, he looked at the couple that was located closer to him. He figured Lovi and Tony would be together someday. At least, they looked like they were dating; Tony had his arm around the other and Lovi, though he was probably too shy to do it right, had laid his head against the Spaniard's chest and his hand gently on his thigh. Tony would rest his cheek in Lovi's hair from time to time too.

"So, how's life treating you?" the white-haired guy said. Matthew looked and saw that he was referring to Francis – not him.

"_Merveilleux_, and you?"

"Okay, I guess," he answered. "Hey, who's that kid you decided to pull in over here?" He grinned at the blushing Canadian next to him.

"Oh, that's just Mathieu," says Francis. "He's my little boy. He looks _so _much like me, doesn't he?" Both of the older ones examined the honey-blond boy with puzzled faces.

"Are you blind?" Romano says. "That guy doesn't look nothing like you!" Francis shrugged.

"Well, I wasn't really asking you, was I?"

As the night passed on, the whole group fell into a conversation about how hard getting a job is and supporting themselves and their underlings. Well, only Francis and Tony could relate to something like that. The warm, summer air was blowing through the window and forced the Canadian to remove his thick sweater. The stars were shining brightly through the pitch-blackness; there was a new moon being born. The country was very silent, unusually. It was the only city that could be heard across the country. It was a glittering capital, a taste of the future, a paradise city, a perfect picture. Everything that made Matt wonder why he didn't dislike it for being so popular and full of unnecessary noise around four corners. But it really didn't matter – especially since Francis gained custody of this young boy long ago. He would only be allowed to visit his home country if it was to see a loved one or take a break from all the disgusting citizens of his guardian's homeland. Oh well, he could've been in a far worse situation. Matty felt lucky he no longer had to spend his time constantly being yelled at and mistaken for another copy of him – his half-brother. The boy turned his head to notice how quiet the whole table had gotten since the waitress came to take their orders. Because he wasn't a big fan of meat, Matthew decided to just enjoy a hearty salad with croutons and ranch dressing spread all over it. Now he realized all three men were staring at _him_.

"Hey, why haven't you said anything yet?" the white-haired said to him. He looked down at his thighs and fiddled with his hands.

"W-well, I'm just…I'm-I'm…just…tired," he said. "That's it, I'm really, really tired from staying up all night."

"How come you stayed up all night?" Tony said. The boy shrugged.

"I don't know, I was working on a story for my journal," he replied. "Yeah, I didn't get to work on it all summer, so I'm trying to finish it up before October." The others just nodded and there was a moment of silence.

"You like writing?" the first one said again. Matt turned to face him.

"Y-yeah, I really like it," he said. "I use it to show how I feel and I express it. Without my writings, I probably wouldn't have much personality in me." The dude nodded.

"I'm Gilbert by the way," he said, holding out his hand. "I'm not usually _this _quiet when I'm with these guys." Matthew timidly shook his hand and blushed with pure embarrassment. He didn't say much. However, Gilbert continued to speak.

"I don't think I've ever seen you around here," he said. "Where do you live?"

"Oh, I live in the northern side of the country," Matt said. "It's not close to here, and it's very peaceful. Unlike this area."

"How old are you?" Gilbert wondered.

"17, I'm a senior student," he said. "And I go to a public school."

"That's cool," Gil says. "I'm out of high school now. Living with my younger brother. 19 years old, and I _still_ can't find a job I really like." Matty wasn't sure what to say to this. Maybe he should pity him as much as he did himself.

"Oh, gee…I'm really sorry about that…"

"Eh. Don't worry about it," he said. "You're more helpful that my brother will ever be." Gilbert didn't know how much anxiety he was causing the younger boy to have. But he knew he wasn't going to say any more than he already did. So he turned back to the others having their little talks.

"What?! Are you serious?" Tony said. "Why'd she do that to you?"

"I have no clue," Francis replied. "But I'm sure she had a good reason, no?"

"That's no excuse for leaving you all alone in this sad, little piece of land." Tony says.

"But I'm not alone," Francis said, wrapping his arm around Matthew. "I have this little guy to make me feel better." The Canadian felt special. Maybe if he really got to know this other guy a little bit more, then he'll be noticed by more people over time. He remembered how hungry he really was – and he began to munch on the fresh slices of cabbage and smaller vegetables that tasted of salty dressing and pepper.

The visit was long compared to a regular schedule. They laughed, they debated, they spoke, and they even disagreed with a lot of things said – and every four seconds, Gilbert would turn his head to see if Matthew was laughing or agreeing with him. He kept smiling at him and he even scooted closer to him on the seat. Matt didn't know why he was suddenly feeling the urge to stare at the intimidating guy. First of all, he was always questioning about his own orientation. It wasn't like he was sexually active or super attracted to other men. But he really didn't appreciate how demanding and physical women out there could be. Judging how neglected and mistreated Francis had been because of them, it really didn't seem like it was going to work out for the Canadian. Second, he was trying this new thing that involved him getting used to and finding out all the information about a person; he didn't want to end up with a total stranger. There were no more words said from the smaller male across the table. Finally after three hours, it was time to hit the road.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Francis," Gilbert said. "And it was nice meeting you, Matthew." He shook his hand again.

"Yeah, that kid's great," Tony said. "C'mon, Lovi; you can sleep on the way home." All four had put on their coats. Matthew thought he was by himself at the doorway – until the same person showed up right beside him.

"Hey, do you have a phone?" he asked him.

"Um, yeah?" Matty said. Gilbert pulled out his own cellular device.

"What's your number?"

"123-456-7789," the Canadian said. The older looked up confused before he caught the small smirk on the other's face.

"Ha, okay, what's your _real _number?" Matthew chuckled.

"Okay, here it is," and he repeated the number in his new friend's ear. The adult put the phone back in his pocket.

"We should really hang out more." he said.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Matthew said. "Well, see ya." And they said their goodbyes as Francis walked with him back to the car.

**~ (^_^) ~**

Later that night, Matty was checking his status on his social network profile. He already had a new friend request on his second day. Of course it was from the guy he just met a couple of hours ago. He didn't really care, so he confirmed it and now they were buddies online.

"You know, I think he really likes you, _frère._" Francis said while looking over his shoulder.

"You think so?" Matty says. "I don't really know how I feel about him, though." The Frenchman came over and sat next to him on his bed.

"There's no need to rush things," he told him. "It may take some time for you to know exactly how you feel."

"Yeah, but what if I find out he doesn't like me then?" the Canadian replied. His guardian shrugged.

"Then you'll know how you'll feel too," he leaned over and kissed the boy's forehead. "Well, I need my beauty sleep. _Bonne nuit, mon garḉon_."

"Good night, Francis." As the man left the room, Matthew closed his laptop and got into bed. He turned off his lamplight and fell asleep quickly.

Th next morning, Matthew's alarm clock woke him up really early. He had to be fresh on his first day of school. 6:00 am sharp. The school would start at 8:00 its own time. The school officials would be really cranky if the students weren't there on time – even when it's the first day after a long summer. It was a big school. The maximum amount of students would be 1,120 total. Matthew felt like he was in a teenage flick where he'd find friends or even join a nerdy clique for the first year. Being a nerd was the "new thing" all around the world. Popular kids were completely dreading it. Matt first found out while he was walking down the road to the front of the school. He saw a kid with medium, brown hair next to a kid with blonde hair the same length. That poor brown-haired kid; he was being made fun of by the blonde and his other friends. There was a really tall one with a thick, pink scarf and violet eyes, and a really small one who was forced to be part of the crowd. Mr. Williams tried his best to sneak past them and avoid eye contact.

"Hey, who's the new guy?" the blonde said. The Canadian was caught. The tallest one was staring down at him with evil irises.

"He looks like silly little girl, da?" he said.

"Uh, y-yeah…sure." the brown hair says.

"Well, like, hello small guy," says blondie. "Like, my name is Feliks Łukasiewicz. And that's Ivan. He's Russian, not so important." Slowly, Matt turned to face the scary-looking guy.

"H-hiiiiiieee…" Matt said. That's when the bell rang for class and every student walked inside the building – and Matthew ran in along with them.

**~ (^_^) ~**

First period: English 5. It was all about reviewing the year before. All the juniors from last year stopped their learning when they got to the course about reading Shakespeare. They haven't got to Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet. The teachers would much rather spend time talking about it and how sad they were than actually finding out all the content. Sounds like they all were full of it. Today's senior lesson was lecturing about how the students felt about the book and how they formed an opinion by being interested in it. And of course all the kids couldn't say anything about that. Only one person was raising her hand to react to what the teacher assigned them to do.

"We've actually never read it." she replied. "The only piece of information we learned is about how clever and brave Juliet had been and how mournful Romeo was during her false death and that was everyone's only conclusion." If there was one smart blond in this classroom, there had to be more in the school. That was when the educator took out a plastic bin of small books and called everyone up to select one to read. An hour and thirty minutes was the amount of time each period lasted. There wasn't enough time for everyone to complete the whole novel. The teacher just decided to assign each kid their first homework to read the book and finish it by Wednesday and then write a three-page report on the elements of literature. Reading was another favorite of Matthew. He figured if he didn't like to read, he didn't like to write. He placed the small book in his bag and left for second class.

No one gave him a hard time today. He didn't sit alone in the cafeteria. But it probably would've been better than sitting next to that Russian. Both his whole calculus and history classes were accused of being very lazy from their vacation. As a result, Matty had extra homework for no reason. The day was finally over with his last class being methods of inquiry where they did nothing but explain their names and personalities to the rest of them. It was an exhausting day to be exact. Matthew accidentally took the longer way home while he was walking. He wasn't paying any attention to the road; he got a text from Gilbert and he was struggling to reply back. The boy also had to text his guardian to let him know that he was arriving at home and would be there in five minutes. Williams put his phone in his back pocket and walked with his hollow bag on his side. It was passed five minutes already. Matthew began to feel unsafe as he followed the wrong path to his house. He didn't expect to fly by the poorest neighborhood in the whole country. This must've been where all the lower class and the poor homeless people lived. The Canadian shook his head. He felt really bad for those people. He really didn't ask to be spoiled by his caretaker. Yet here he was going back home from the highest and well built school near this dirty, forgotten place.


	2. Chapter 2

Francis wasn't very pleased when Matthew arrived home at nearly 4:20 in the evening. He found him _still _struggling to text back his friend and tell him that he'd call him later.

"Mathieu, where have you been?" he asked the boy. Matty was surprised to hear him speak like that to him.

"Oh, w-well, I was…I was just…walking…and, and I didn't know where I was going, a-and…m-my phone went off." he stammered too much. The Frenchman held out his hand.

"Then I'll just have to take your phone away." he replied. The boy sighed. He handed the mobile phone to the mister.

"But what if my friend calls?"

"You will get it back tomorrow morning," he said. "Don't you have some things to do?" Matthew thought for a moment.

"Oh, yeah, I got some work I have to do." He ran upstairs with his disappointment shadowing his face.

Calculus homework made him want to stop and massage his head more than enough times. It was really no problem to him. He managed to finish it off and start on his study about the history of Latin America, which took longer than he wanted it to. He went from reading the prompt about emigration to the last paragraph about all the battles and the wars and fights about independence. The page reminded him of the run-down neighborhood he experienced not too long ago. Going through the ghetto made you feel as if you were a part of these poor families. It felt almost as if you belonged where they belonged. How coincidental it was! The young children and adults and teens were all watching the ones that walked by with their heads held up 'til they were facing the sky – and they cursed at them for being born and raised that way. Regardless of any guilt the others showed from inside, the lower class citizens were always the ones feeling like outsiders towards the world. It was tragic, Matt knew. And as he picked up the clues to it, he looked at the clock and found out that his problem-solving had taken up almost ten minutes of his work time. That's another ten minutes he could've been talking to that mysterious person he met. The Canadian shook his head.

_Just five more questions and one more task to do_, he thought. _Then I'll be as free as I ever was in this house. _

With only one problem tugging at his brain and legs shaking for each second, Matthew opened the book to page 27 and he began to read in his mind. Francis had taught him advanced vocabulary. Sometimes Matty would mistakenly use "thou" a part of his sentence and "thee" and "art". He'd like to see that being a lesson in his homeland.

"Wow," Matt said to himself. "Juliet was way too young for that guy. When I was her age, I didn't even grow into my own erection until a long time after." He flipped through the next page. Novels written by Shakespeare were very interesting, no doubt. You could read them over and over and not get tired of them really quick. For some reason, the words kept bouncing up and down on the pages. The sentences wouldn't stay still. Matthew tried to hold the book more firmly. The words were still acting like ants on a page. He looked back and saw his leg shaking vigorously on his bed. He sighed heavily.

"I sure hope Francis doesn't remember what he said," he says. "I really, really want my phone so I can call him back."

Well, his call would have to wait until later. That novel wasn't just going to stick to his head from reading the first chapter. Juliet was impatient for him to see what really happened in the end. Williams read page after page, absorbing the plot and the dialogue imprinted on the sharp paper. When he got to a difficult and sad part of the chapter, he couldn't take it any longer. He slammed the book closed and stuffed it in his bag. He quietly walked down the stairs to find his guardian resting on a chair and reading a thick book himself.

"Um, Francis?" the Frenchman looked up from his book.

"_Oui_?"

"Is-is it okay for me to…well, I mean…is-is it…okay for…" he stammered. "…c-can I…can I have…"

"Yes?" Matthew hesitated.

"Can I have a glass of wine from the kitchen?" he asked. Francis smiled.

"Of course, _petit_." Mr. Williams went to the kitchen to pull out a clear glass and a wine bottle. He filled it up only halfway before running back to his room.

"Oh well," he said quietly. "I'll just have to wait until tomorrow. I'm sure he'll understand what my situation is."

**~ (^_^) ~**

All the classmates raised their hands when the first question was asked. What exactly kept Romeo and Juliet from being together in the first place? Williams wasn't in position to answer that question. He had no idea why. Romeo was her soul mate, they all knew. Juliet wasn't allowed to see him. They planned to escape. She faked her death to hide her appearance and kept her family avoiding the hunt for her. Romeo, of course, didn't take her death very well. He eliminated himself from the world. She awakens from her deep unconsciousness only to find him killed by his own hand. She dies taking her own life for him. That's all that went around Matthew's head. He wanted the day to move by faster so he could do whatever he felt like doing. at home. Gilbert was probably waiting for him to dial his number and make the call already. But another thought came to the boy's head that he also might've been too busy.

The school bell rang for eighth period with the same homework as yesterday. All the students went off to their last class all talking at once. Williams wished he had some friends to hang out with. That Ivan guy seemed to like him, but he was way too weird to talk to. Feliks was too cocky and he seemed like he was a bully towards others – and the brown hair was really shy and wouldn't come out of his shell.

"HEY YOOOOOO, 'LIL BROOO!" yelled an obnoxious voice. Matthew rolled his eyes and turned to see his American half-brother running up to him. "What's up, my brother?!"

"Oh, hi, Alfred," he said. "What are you doing here?" Alfred shrugged.

"Isn't it obvious?" he said. "I go to this school now."

"Are you serious?" Matt said.

"I know, it's _so _hard to believe," Alfred says. "Iggy goes here too, and he brought me here so I can learn stuff he learns." Williams nodded slowly.

"And the best part is – I get the same English class as you!"

"Oh…that's…great," Matty turned around. "Well, I got to go, see you later."

"_HASTA LA VISTA_!" he yelled again.

_I can't believe Alfred's going to this school now,_ Matthew thought. _I guess that means this school is open to anyone now. I love my brother, but sometimes he really annoys me. _

Hopefully next semester would have other choices for science classes. Methods of Inquiry was HARD. The professional teachers in those classes were strict and never sugar-coated anything. Tests were the number one things that kept track of the grades and so was attendance. Any student who missed more than four days of this class was sure to get a warning. And if they get two warnings, they leave the class. This class was beneficial, however; it would reduce the years of science required to take in college. The blonde-haired girl sat behind him in this class. She did almost nothing but talk to her brother and her boyfriend about the weirdest things. She was cute overall. Except that her brother totally enclosed her in this invisible box where she can't talk to certain people or date certain people. Her brother was always eyeing the one that sat next to her wherever she was. The Canadian learned all of this just by listening to a conversation she was having during class. It's funny how personal things like that just slip out of nowhere.

This time when Matt went home, he'd take the right way back. He couldn't stand walking through that scary neighborhood. The young adults were all staring at him like he was some kind of criminal or as if he was coming to cause nothing but trouble in their neighborhood. Williams pulled out his phone to see random texts from Gilbert.

Gilbert: Hey, how's it goin? _Message received yesterday at 6:00 am. _

Matthew dialed the number and held the phone up to his ear. Ringing sounds went through his ear for about two minutes before the voicemail went off. He tried dialing the number again and the voicemail went off after a minute and thirty seconds. Why wasn't he picking up the phone? Matthew said he was going to call him back. Gilbert obviously really wanted to chat with him. He had his phone off all day and he was trying to type a new message on his phone when he felt a sharp pain banging on his head. He was knocked to the floor with his phone two feet away from him.

"Ow!" Matthew yelled, holding his hand to his head.

"Damn you Americans!" yelled some guy with a deep voice. "Haven't you done enough already?" Williams didn't know what was going on, but he stretched his arm to grab his phone and run. But that guy was too fast. He gripped his arm and rapidly hit his head and continued to shout at him.

"Why the hell you people want to see us miserable, huh?!" he says. "What the hell's up with that?!"

"Ow! Ow, stop it!" Matt yelled. "I don't know what's going on-OW!"

"You liars!" the guy yelled. "You just want to fuckin' laugh at us and point at us and remind us of how bad we have it! What you think you're doing just walking by here?!" He picked up Matthew until he was standing straight up with his head feeling really bad.

"Stop hurting me!" he yelled. "I don't know what you're talking about!" Then he felt more whips on his head and tears were welling up in his eyes.

"You're all bastards!" the man yelled. "I don't want to see your God-damned faces back here ever again! Ya got that?!" Williams was released and shoved from the tight grip and he fell on his knees feeling dizziness. The unidentified person just turned around and left without saying anything else but a few curse words in a common language. Matty just sat there with his arms holding his body up and his knees shaking against the ground. A small tear fell from his face and onto his scratched prescriptions. What was that all about? For sure the boy didn't do anything wrong. All the man seemed upset about was only the fact that other people have been through his neighborhood before. Why did he have to take out his anger on the poor Canadian? Williams snatched his phone and looked at the time it said on the screen. He was only three minutes away from being on time to his house. He grabbed his bag, put his phone in his back pocket and ran away. He could've sworn one of that man's relatives was watching him as he left. Gee, this day really didn't turn out as expected. First he didn't get much work done last night, then he tried to call his friend twice with no answer, and now he was assaulted while trying to return to his home to avoid getting into trouble with Francis. What else could go wrong? The more he thought this the more negative he sounded. So he tried to make the best out of the last hours of the day and finish that book that was due the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

Through the front door came the slowly walking boy with his hand still holding up to his head. He closed the door and walked to the refrigerator to open the freezer and get some ice. He wondered when they were really going to need ice so much as to keeping every cube in place. Matthew pulled out a plastic Ziploc bag from the counter drawer and filled it up with some cubes. While he was keeping it right on the bruised spot of his blonde head, he realized Francis wasn't around the living room. He didn't see any books out on the floor or any wine glasses in the sink. The only thing there was a note written in Francis's elegant cursive. It said:

_Dear Matthew,_

_I just remembered that I've got an important conference to go to. I won't be back until late at night. Do not let anyone inside the house at all and don't even think about leaving. I will punish you if you do. _

_Sincèrement,_

_Francis ^_^ _

"Aw, man," Matthew said. "What am I going to do for seven hours by myself?" Then he walked up to his room to finish the novel and get started on his homework.

**~ (^_^) ~**

"What is this supposed to mean?" he asked himself. "Methods of Inquiry is really complicated." Make an observation for step 1. Then you have to ask yourself a question regarding what you saw. A hypothesis should cover what was seen. Such a type of hypothesis for the observation should have an experiment ready for the next solution. Is your hypothesis accepted or not accepted? If it isn't, draw a conclusion to see whether you have to conduct the experiment again. Surely it couldn't be any simpler than that. Something else was going on in his head besides the aching. He had so much to do tonight. He really didn't want to start the year like this. A vibration went through his jeans. The Canadian pulled out the phone and saw a new text message on the screen.

Gilbert: Hey, call me. I wanna talk to you.

Matty felt confused, but once again dialed the number and pressed the phone to his left ear. He waited after a couple of seconds before the receiver picked up on the second ring.

"Hey, Gilbert," Matthew said, smiling to himself.

"Hey, why didn't you call me?" he asked. "I thought you said you'd call later." Williams felt the corners of his mouth drop.

"I _did _call you," he said. "Twice and you didn't answer. I thought you were busy"

"Yeah but you didn't call yesterday," he said. "You said you were gonna call _yesterday_." He wasn't making this any easier for the boy.

"But…but…I couldn't call yesterday," he says. "You see I…I was really busy doing homework…and-and I was reading this important book…and Francis took my-"

"Yeah, whatever," Gilbert said. "Anyway, I just wanted to talk to you."

_An awkward silence._

"You got some time to spare?" he asked the boy.

"Um, s-sure?"

"I know I just met you – and I have no idea what you're really like," he started."I think that…we should just…get together and talk some more." Even though it was evening, the sky was still bright. By going out on a date at a time in the evening, it wouldn't be very romantic without the moon shining bright on them. The Canadian boy blushed at the thought of him and Gilbert being like in a movie holding hands under the stars and brighter lights.

"You mean…like on a _date_?" he wondered.

"Yeah, whatever you wanna call it," says the older male. "I'm outside the front yard right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Williams said. "Are you feeling lonely too?"

"No, I mean I'm outside _your _front yard right now." Matthew paused before getting up and looking through the window and seeing a white spot on the green lawn.

"What…why…h-how did you find out where I live?" Matty's cheeks turned pink. There was a spark right there!

"I used to come by Francis's house all the time," he replied. "Back when we were teenagers. Do you think you could meet me here?"

"You mean…leave the house?" Matthew's forehead was sweating. "Right now?"

"I thought we should get to know each other right away," he said. "I can't wait 'til tomorrow." The Canadian boy sighed and thought hard about it. The pile of work and the unfinished novel still lay on his desk waiting for him. He also remembered the specific note that still remained taped to one of the counters in the kitchen.

"Well, I don't really know," he said. "Francis isn't here, and he said he'd "punish" me if I either left the house or let anyone inside without him knowing."

"Oh, we wouldn't want that to happen to you."

"No, we wouldn't." Gilbert thought for a moment.

"Do you think you could sneak out here and I'll bring you back before he comes home?"

"Where are you going to take me?"

"Nowhere special," Gilbert says. "Just for a ride in my car."

"Um, okay," says Matt. "I guess I could slip away for only a little while. Then you'll bring me back home, right?"

"Oh yeah, 'course I will," says Gilbert. "I know you can trust me."

The white-haired guy seemed as if he was on pins and needles all yesterday and today. Williams took one look all over the house to make sure there were no secret cameras. Then he grabbed a marker and made himself a note on his hand to finish what he started. All the lights were turned off and the back doors were locked. Matthew went through the front door, locking it tightly and checking it twice. Then he ran up to the older male.

"Well, it's about time you showed up over here." Gilbert wrapped his arms around him and hugged him with all his strength. It was an adorable picture. Just two guys hugging out in the front lawn while dozens of cars were flying past them. Needless to say, Gilbert probably had his own feelings for the Canadian. He was right about the untapped potential of the two. The white-hair's hugs felt warm and soft. Unlike his brother's hugs that were just like aggressive tugs and squeezes. The taller man's body was pressed up against Matthew and his cheeks turned red when he noticed it. Gilbert let him go.

"Sorry, just was really happy to see you." he said.

"_Was_?" says the boy.

Gilbert blushed lightly. "Am happy to see you. C'mon, let's go."

He took the smaller boy's hand and led him into the coldness of the night. Matthew pondered if Gilbert was going to say anything else besides that. He didn't even know if he wanted to go or not. In fact, Gilbert's hand was grasping the other's in a way that looked as if he was kidnapping him. The Canadian was nervous and felt his heart beat faster within each step they took. He wanted to speak against what they were about to do, but he was too excited to hang out with this friend. The words that hung onto his lips completely faded away. He was now gazing dreamily at the back of his white head of hair.

A few minutes later, they were sitting in the front seat of Gilbert's car and driving to a "special place" Gilbert said he wanted to go to. They were both looking forward to their private hangout space. However, there were numerous amounts of people who came by on a daily basis. When the older male mentioned this, Matthew groaned and felt the happiness kick him in the gut. He thought it'd only be _their _hiding spot. Not anyone else snooping around there. Well that was just too bad. Gilbert said if he wanted to be with him and hang out with him more often, then he'd have to get used to all the locations and places he wanted to go to without any complaints. Williams couldn't argue with that. After all, Gilbert _did _mention that he knew Matthew wanted to be with him. Gilbert added that he was doing him a favor by helping him avoid seven boring hours stuck with nothing but homework to do. He managed to get him to thinking the same things as him. Soon, the boys parked in an alley underneath the shining stars and the new moon. Along the rusted buildings enclosing the alley, there was a lot of graffiti and sprayed words that were difficult to read. The words were terrible. Most of them describing a depressed person's life and the others just being bad because the people feel like it. Matthew felt like he was in some sort of trap in a danger zone. He gently placed his hand on the door handle and tried to open it when he felt a warm hand grab his arm. The Canadian turned his head to see red, affectionate eyes staring and beaming at him.

"Where are you going?" Gilbert said. "I thought you'd want to stay here and talk to me."

"_Ooh_, yeah," Matty said. "That's just what I was about to do." He let his hand free from the handle and scooted closer to the white-haired dude. Both waited for a few moments – and Gilbert put his arm around the smaller boy's tense shoulders. Matthew really wanted to know about this man; he sparked up a conversation.

The boy got them talking about their most favorite sports of all time. He told Gilbert about how much hockey was important to him and how many times he failed at being goalie in eighth grade. Then he told him about all the loose teeth he saw on the skating rinks plus the number of black eyes on the boys' faces. Hockey was number one in his whole life. Besides his family, it was the only thing he loved more than anything and cherished everywhere. He kept his first hockey stick he got when he was six. Matty also told Gilbert about that day he first got it and how bad the day was going before he owned it. It started off with him and Alfred being invited by Francis to go to this famous hockey game. It was so crowded in the stadium. The entrances were flooded with people all the way from the driveway. Nobody would've guessed this sport was so popular in the city Matt lived in. The boy went on about how he wasn't feeling well early in the morning. He said he had a small cold the night before and it grew into a 104 degree fever. But it was the first time Matthew and his brother actually got to visit each other and talk face to face. Matthew insisted he'd go no matter how high his temperature was. He explained how he kept feeling worse and worse later on in the day and his stomach was really upset at him for going. The sight of the hungry crowds and popcorn kernels on the floor were sickening his whole body. Then he remembered sitting on the seat way up front so he could see the team up close. Apparently, he was a little _too_ up close and one of the players swung at the puck only to miss and hit Matthew right in the forehead with his stick.

Williams was so blackened out, he didn't even know how bad it hurt. His injured head was so full of pain that his stomach got even angrier and he threw up right on the floor next to the stick. The player felt really bad for him. He was also disgusted and felt sick as well. But he allowed him to keep the soiled hockey stick. That's when Matthew, though he felt sticky at the mouth and dirtied his sweater, considered the day as being the most awesome day ever. What a good sport he was after he just blew chunks. When he finished a portion of his life story, Gilbert was fascinated in his interests. Williams also told him about how he really loved maple syrup and Canadian bacon dipped in it. He stopped his talking and looked at the other next to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "I took up so much time talking about me."

"That's okay," Gilbert said. "You could make it up to me…tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Already?"

"Well, if you really want to get to know me that well, you have to sacrifice most of your time with the awesome Gilbert!" Williams looked at his hands neatly folded on his lap.

"I don't know if I can…"

"Oh, and I wanted to ask you something else," Gilbert said, his eyes flaring up. "Who was that guy you were talking to earlier today?"

"What?" Matty said. "Oh, that was just Alfred. He's my half-brother. I was just talking to him about our plans for this fall."

"Yeah, I saw that guy," says the older. "But I meant the _other _guy."

"What other guy?"

"The one that was big and violent-looking," he replied. "Who was he?"

"Oh, that guy," Williams thought about what happened earlier today. "I have no idea. I mean, I was just walking home when he tried to attack me with his fists. I didn't really get a good look at him, but he was a large guy. His skin was dark tan, if I'm correct. And his eyes were dark and scared me. I sure hope I don't see that guy again anytime soon." He sighed and slumped down in the passenger seat.

"Yeah, I saw that guy too," Gilbert said. "You should tell him to stay away from you from now on. But that's still not the guy I was talking about." The Canadian looked at him.

"Which dude are you talking about, Gilbert?" The white-haired male looked away hearing the boy say his name with such a quiet and peaceful voice.

"I meant the really tall guy!" he said. "The one that's got the beige hair and the ugly pink scarf!"

"Oh, that's just Ivan," Matt reassured him. "He didn't really say anything to me. He spent more time staring down at me than say one word, which is really creepy if you ask me."

Gilbert felt his hand tighten the hold on the boy's arm. He forgot he was still holding onto it the whole time. The boy didn't even pay attention to it. But he did now. The tightening on the soft part of his arm made him feel threatened like he really was being kidnapped or something. It was only a matter of Gilbert feeling his anger for those who talked to Williams more often than he could. The feeling wasn't new to him. He'd felt it before while watching the boy walk with another group of people to school. But he saw that he was somehow scaring the younger boy and making him feel bad. He let his arm go and turned to face the opposite side out the window.

"That guy shouldn't be scaring you like that," Gilbert said. "He needs to leave you alone too. They all do. He's not just Ivan. That guy's a jerk. If it were up to me, I'd call him "Ivan the Terrible" for sure." He couldn't make it any clearer than that.

**~ (^_^) ~**

They've spent nearly three hours talking to each other about Matthew's favorites and his goals and life. Gilbert even asked about his turn-on's and turn-off's. The Canadian was dying to know what the older male was like. He wanted to know what he did for a living and what he was destined to do since the very beginning. Well he really wasn't using his head. If this "adult" actually had something he was doing for a living, he probably would have them go to someplace nicer than this dusky alleyway. Who cared at a time like this? Matthew reminded Gilbert he still had to take him home before Francis arrived. He reassured him that they still had a couple of hours before it was time to leave yet.

He was wrong yet again. He ended up returning the boy about an hour before his guardian had arrived. While Gilbert was taking him back to the front door, he kept his little palm in his bigger one. Matthew was flattered at the situation he was in.

"So does this mean we're a… couple…now?" he asked, shyly. The older male shrugged.

"I guess, if that's what you want." he snickered in such a strange way, using his k's and his s's.

"Well, I'd better get going," Matthew said. "Francis will be really mad at me if I'm not inside by now."

"All right, just remember," he said. "You'll meet me after you're out of school tomorrow, okay?"

"Tomorrow, got it." the boy says. He waved goodbye and unlocked the front door. He waited until he heard the screeching of the tires pull away from his driveway before locking the inside of the door again. Then he sighed and let himself sink to the floor with his back against the door.

"Wait, what did I say to him?"


	4. Chapter 4

The classmates were all shuffling through their lockers and hurrying off to join with friends. Lunch time was always hectic for people who had it before the younger grades. It gives you some time to think. Time to review something important or study for a quiz on the scientific method. It was almost time for the review quiz on the tragic novel this boy read. He was so anxious to take it right away that he was chewing his nail beds as he read the last chapters. Dark circles were shadowing under his eyes. He yawned within each paragraph his eyes landed on. His acquaintances pitied him. Matthew was better than that. If Mr. Bonnefoy found out he had been sneaking off to hang out with his old friend the night before, he'd never let him live freely. He could do something like put him in a private school. Or even homeschooled! No, Matty told everyone who knew Francis that well to not say one word. It was a solid secret. What a glorious day to waste reading the remaining parts of a book he could've done last night. He studied the cliques of little boys and girls lurking around outside the building, laughing and playfully punching each other in the arms. The blonde-haired girl was walking over to the Ladies' bathroom right next to where the boy said when she noticed how unsatisfied he was. She walked over to him and sat right next to the chair beside him.

"Hey, why are you sitting here by yourself?" she asked him. "It's lunchtime, and everyone's hanging out of class." Williams was way too caught up in his project to think about why he was rushing himself to complete it. The girl moved in closer to his face to shake him out of his gaze.

"Hellooo?" she purred. Her soft voice threw him off his conscience.

"Oh, I'm-I'm sorry…I was just so busy that I…"

"It's okay, it happens," she says. "Why are you hurrying up to finish that book?" The Canadian shifted his eyes from her face to the dog-eared pages. Then he closed it and set it on his lap.

"Didn't _you _already finish it last night like we were all supposed to?" The girl giggled at his ridiculous sentence. She flipped her hair back and sighed.

"Of course not," she said. "I don't think any of us got that whole thing done in only two days. Those words are too smart for us to remember on the quiz." Okay, so Williams misjudged this woman a little bit. But in these classrooms, she's different; outside of school, not so much.

"Well, if my…foster parent found out about it, he'd kill me." She looked at him with her green, cat-like eyes.

"You're in foster care?"

"Well, not exactly," Matt says. "I'm kind of…adopted in a way. This guy, Francis, has full custody of me, but he'd not my real father."

"Oh, well good luck to you if he ever figures you out," she said. "Keep in mind that you can never keep secrets forever. Especially towards the ones who really care about you." That tiny speech was haunting. Each word hung onto the boy's ears and chilled his spine. He'd remember that quote for all times. He just wondered when he would ever need it. The girl's boyfriend was calling her out in front. She stood up.

"Well, I got to go," she said. "My name's Bella by the way."

"Matthew." The boy said. The blonde-haired woman left him alone. Then he sighed real quietly and opened the book again to read. The loud, piercing sound of the school bell almost put him in a stroke and he nearly fell off the chair he was sitting on listening to it. Now he knew he was in for trouble. The score on his quiz would be the lowest of the low and the worst he's ever gotten. He'd die of humiliation. He'd die of being killed. The universe would come after him, one way or another. He prayed to the Lord to forgive him of his mistake and heal whatever the wounds he had laid in His heart. Yes, it was that bad and he was very religious. Lots of his relatives and loved ones praised him for that. Francis, Arthur, and even his own brother felt lucky to have known this boy. But the Canadian would never know if his wishes have been answered the way he'd wanted them to later on that day. While sitting in his English class, he chewed his pencil and not his nails and stared at the other classmates. One of them looked to be unprepared as well. A little Italian boy, sophomore, hung out with this German who was a senior. The Italian had his head down and shaking legs crossed. It was such a coincidence how Matthew had ended up in a school with students from all around the world. He had five different people in his class: a German, an Italian, an American, a Belgian, and a Netherlander. None of which he had much things in common with. The educator entered the doorway and the classmates immediately sat up and had their sharpened pencils in their hands.

_This is it, _thought the dramatic Matthew. _This is the day of my death. Francis isn't going to be very happy with me. I'll never make it past today. I'm going to die a virgin. Why did I say that? It's a SIGN! _

"Good morning, class," the teacher said. "So, how many of you actually _finished _your books in the last two days?" Half the class raised their hands. The other side looked exactly like the small boy did. The teacher sighed loudly.

"I'd expect that of you all," he said. "Well, the good news is that it was a test all along. I was trying to see if any of you would actually do the assignment right as soon as I asked you to do it. The bad news is that you'll have homework on Friday to read the rest of it – or the whole thing." The class groaned as loud as they could. The little Italian perked his head up and grinned. He tapped on the German sitting next to him.

"Ve~ we get to study together all weekend!" he said, making his friend smirk. That damn American dude was so relieved; he had to slide down in his chair and exclaim to everyone how good he had it.

"Dude, I'm so freaking glad we don't have a test today!" he said. "I would've got an F minus on that thing!" Bella looked at him.

"Your score probably wouldn't be any different if you actually read it and we _did _have a small quiz today." she says.

People were so out of control at the moment. It almost made Williams and the teacher change their minds and want to give these rowdy kids a quiz to shut them up. Anyways, down the hallway everyone went as another Thursday afternoon shined through the windows. The air felt good on their skin. There was a soft breeze blowing through Matty's golden hair and made him smile the whole trip down. He just got a text during his last class from you-know-who reminding him to secretly meet him after school. When the Canadian actually had the time to read the text in his mind and know what it had to say, he paused and bit his lip. His right thumb was lifted right on top of the "SEND" button. Should he tell Francis where he was going? If he really wanted his guardian to know he was safe, he would tell him the truth. Because of the way he was, Francis wouldn't mind at all about what he was about to do. Besides, he knew Gilbert his whole teenage and college years. There was no way he couldn't keep his trust in his old friend and his little boy. But there was some way the Frenchman would suspect something bad happening. Matthew decided to type in a text to let Francis know he was okay.

Matty 3: Hi, Francis. I'm staying after school to get some homework done. Don't know why we have so much homework. See you in 2 and half hours.

**~ (^_^) ~**

He hit that send button and walked with quieter steps to their "private" alleyway. That's when Williams remembered to watch the path he was going. Come to think of it, he hasn't seen that tanned guy in a while. Well, it was only two days since their last meeting, Matthew was sure that guy would come around soon. And when he did, Williams would be ready to take him down before he was hit again. The thought of the tanned guy didn't leave his mind. It kept him occupied for the long road. It also made him realize that Francis had to take more responsibility and teach him to drive so he wouldn't be walking all the time and he wouldn't be so thin. Sure, cars are a main source of pollution, but it was worth it to drive an hour-long trip to shorten it up. Just remember this one, Matthew: Some people lived for more than nineteen years without a car or some vehicle to take them places. They didn't have much to complain about. The same thing went for cell phones and laptops. Williams was starting to feel bad about all that time he'd spend on his laptop emailing that guy and writing the last adventures of his one story. He just considered that to be the reason why his eyes were so dark and his energy was so low. The only things that went in his mind were the date, the book, the story, and the time he wanted to talk to this guy. Matty wanted Gilbert to be his first lover, but he knew he had to wait and see who would make the first move. It probably wouldn't be him; he was one of those guys who were meant to be on the bottom in a relationship. The boy cringed at the feeling of always being on the bottom and never topping the date. There were worse things to be feeling unsure of and disgusted at. He just didn't know all of them yet.

The alley wasn't as deserted as Matthew had hoped, but it was nicer in the daytime. It didn't look as rusty. They should've really got rid of that graffiti though. Sadly the only small shop next to them was a café that went out of business a week ago. There weren't any romantic places they would go to other than this spot. The Canadian looked for his friend out in the parking space next to the alley.

"Hey! What's up, yo?" he heard a loud voice pop up out of nowhere. Matthew turned to see Gilbert and that stupid yellow bird floating above his head. His cheeks hurt from the large grin he smacked on his face, until he saw another girl walking with another guy along with him. Williams recognized her as one of the individuals who dropped out of high school just one month before graduating to be with her lame-ass Austrian boyfriend. He was already dropped out before she was. Those two were struggling, the boy knew. But he didn't mention one word on that day of the visit. The girl introduced herself as Elizaveta Hérderváry. What a wonderful name that was. Bella once told Matty in one of her conversations that she wished her name was that rare and "weird". The other guy addressed himself as Roderich Edelstein, a more common name in the European continent. All day long, the Williams boy had to pinch himself to keep his mouth shut about if those two would leave them alone for a while. When the white-haired guy said he had something he wanted to ask the Canadian, he thought it would be more personal and not in this noisy area. He had to admit, the talks that he and the other two had were pretty mysterious. Matthew was just waiting for Gilbert to pull him aside and talk to him right about…now.

"Hey, Williams," he said. "Wasn't that the dumbass lady that came up to you and started talking to you?"

"…n-no, it wasn't," the boy said. "To be honest, I think she's a really intelligent blonde."

"Oh, you think she's "intelligent"?" Gilbert said. "Well, she's not. Lizzy told me she was the dumbest kid in your whole school."

_You're saying that smart blonde is stupid based on what a high school drop-out said to you? _Matthew thought.

"You may think you know her," Gil continued. "But you really don't."

"Have you ever hung out with her?"

"Of course I have!" Gilbert shouted. "That's why I know this about her! And I bet that tan dude that hit you is just as dumb!" His loud speech echoed in the room and a few people turned their heads to stare at the two. This boy had entirely forgotten about that guy that hit him. Until he brought it up, obviously. He shouldn't be worried about that now.

"Oh yeah, that guy…" They both sighed. That tanned man was forming a wall in between those two boys. There was never going to be a first move from either of them. Wait, he said they were in a committed relationship this very moment. If he said it, then it must've been official. There wasn't much to be said from Williams. This date went a little bit down the drain after the other two had left to solve their own problems. Matthew was getting a little impatient and wanted to end this date and leave already. He looked at his watch. Unfortunately, it had been only thirty minutes in the date and he had over an hour left to stay. The boy sipped through his large class of soda as his mind repetitively thought about how they were going to go through this in life.

"Hey, do you like other sports besides hockey?" Gilbert asked.

"What? Oh, yeah," Williams says. "I like…baseball too."

"That's awesome!" the white-haired guy says. "I love baseball. I also love boxing other people. You know my brother used to fight me all the time. Of course I always lost, but I don't see what the big deal is."

"Well, when I was ten, my half-brother called me up to play a game of catch," says Matty. "I was happy to play some ball with that guy, but all he did was hit me in the face and the balls multiple times. Winning is for losers"

"Oh, wow," Gilbert said. "He doesn't sound very smart, dude."

"He isn't."

And as they spoke about random things, The Canadian barely noticed that he had so much in common with this guy. They loved the same subjects, books, music, sports and miscellaneous activities. He scooted his chair closer to the guy and his hand was suddenly lying on top of Gilbert's hand. Gilbert looked at the smaller, pale hand on top of his and his smile was soft. He took the boy's hand and locked their fingers together. The next thing they knew, those two were staring into each other's eyes, with the Canadian taking in the details of his red rubies and pink-streaked face. A couple of kids passed by the window and stopped to stare at them. Their lips were pressed against each other in a smooth kiss. Matthew's face had blushed again as he felt the other breathe against him. Then they kissed with a lot of feeling and passion – open-mouthed to be exact. They were totally unaware of how uncomfortable they were making the others feel. The boys were pleased as they made another couple feel so lame. A girl and a boy just sitting there with little action to be proud of made them kiss with the same rhythm. Gilbert squeezed the boy's shoulder as he let him go. Both of them panted inaudibly and grinned at each other. Matthew's first kiss was something he'll remember always. It was something very, very special to him as it was to anyone who had it too. It was a thing he thought he wouldn't have until he was spontaneous enough for it. Won't Francis be proud of him, if only he knew? He'd gloat to everyone in this world about how much his acts were brushing upon this little boy. Another thing was that who would want Matthew to be as perverted and ill-minded as his guardian? After his first kiss, he and his "boyfriend" went outside the shop to spend some more time in his car.

**~ (^_^) ~**

The Canadian felt both pleased and awkward to have his first love be another man. He knew he was blessed to even have been a couple with anyone at all. The air was getting colder around him. He'd forgotten his jacket in his boyfriend's car the night before. All he had was a thin, short scarf wrapped as tight as it could be around his little neck. The metal of his glasses chilled his skin. He looked as if he hasn't seen the sun in years. It'll all pass once he gets in that car to ride with his boyfriend for the same routine he'd had for the past couple of days.

They've been dating for a while. Almost a month had gone by since these two had their first kiss in history. Mr. Bonnefoy hadn't the slightest clue about why Matthew had been staying after school to finish his homework. What an airhead he was. Williams didn't blame him, however, he had to work from 6 am to 3 pm straight without any breaks and it was starting to fracture his way of thinking. Bella has come to chat with the boy at times. She was a lot gloomier than she had been before. Her eyes were always sad and she didn't look at him in the eye.

"Hey, Bella like, what's wrong…with your face?" Feliks asked her that day.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said. "You wouldn't understand."

"Oh, c'mon," Feliks says. "Like, you at least got to say something to me." Her face lit up.

"First of all, you keep pissing me off with your "likes" all the time," she said. "And second, my boyfriend and I really haven't been…getting along that well." Ivan overheard her and sat closer to her at the table.

"Why not?" he asked. "I thought you two were doing fine, da?"

"Well, it's not just us," Bella reminds him. "It's my brother." They all grimaced at her comment. There had to be one thing connected to her sex life and it had to be the one that shielded her from living it.

"I really think that guy should leave you alone in a relationship." Tony the Spaniard said as he walked by her. Williams was sitting right in the corner, hearing every word of his friend's disgrace. Could he have given her advice, he thought he should've. His imagination took flight that day. His own mind would brag to himself about how better off he was in his dating process aside from her.

As he gently glided through the path, he let his breath out in a sigh. It was always the same whenever he drove with Gilbert. First they'd ignore each other, then they'd get into a small argument about all the people he's already talked to other than him, and then they'd do something to make it up like kissing or cuddling together. Williams would have to figure out a way to get them to do something completely out of the ordinary. He had some planning to do. And suddenly, his plot was interrupted by a deep, strong voice calling to him away in the far corner in the neighborhood he's forbidden himself to see anymore.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, ju over there," the voice called to him. Matthew looked around his surroundings. Then his shoulders were shrugged way up to both his cheeks as he continued his path. Yes, he _did _hear someone talking to him. No, he didn't want to look back to see who it was. He felt as if he was being watched. Someone could be echoing his footsteps even though he was walking on dormant grass. The grass was crackling against his shoes. Determined to escape the path as fast as he could, his steps picked up the pace. He had his cellular device enclosed in his palm, waiting to see if he wanted to call his boyfriend to come and just pick him up there. Then again, as soon as he stopped and turned around, there was nothing and no one there. This dorky boy slapped his forehead for thinking that someone was actually following him. He knew this way was much safer than anyone had ever predicted it was. It was free from thugs and bandits and plain, rotten kidnappers. His mobile phone vibrated in his hand to show that he had five new messages from late last night.

_First message sent at 2:00 am. _

Gilbert: Hey, Birdie! Had a great time wit u last night. Hope u slept well cuz I'm taking u out earlyyyyy. C ya soon!

"Huhhh?" Matthew paused and read the text again. It didn't make much sense, but it was absolutely clear that Gilbert had nothing else to do that day. He also didn't know about other people's schedules and how they lived their lives away from their dating. Williams had no intention on meeting his lover that early. And during school too! His only free time was lunch which was at 11:30 instead of being at 12:00. That's probably meant he kept this guy sitting in his car for about 4 hours straight. Matthew didn't want to read the other texts; he felt too iniquitous to think about what they all had to say. Conjointly speaking, he knew what all the stanzas had to say about him. He just remained there, puzzling about how he'd have to deal with this. He wondered if he could just escape and run back home. He'd be thinking about it there without anyone else inspecting him. He jumped as he felt something pressing into his shoulder at the logic of how his lover would be taking this.

"Ah! I didn't know anything! It wasn't me!" he yelled in abruptness. He felt his face burn at the sight of the tan man in front of him.

"Um…yeah," he said. "Hey, are ju that kid that looks exactly like his brother?"

"Um…well, th-that depends," Matt said. "Which kid are you talking about?"

"I don't know, he looks a lot like an American," the tanned guy says. "And he's got real, junky glasses…" Matthew's shoulders sagged.

"Yeah, that's me," he told him. "I have those junky prescriptions." The man walked up closer to him and Williams saw his details better. He had long, thick dreadlocks that carried a dark brown color. He had them pulled back in a large ponytail. His big eyes were a deep and dark brown color and his eyebrows were thick and dark as well. He was a bit ample at the middle, but his bristly arms were muscular, matching his unshaven legs. To top it all off, his chin and jaw line were just as stubbly. His face was round and his neck was thick. He looked so…enticing. With an addition of being only a few inches taller than the Canadian. Miraculously, Matthew wasn't planning on going anywhere anymore.

"Well, I just want to say I'm really sorry," he said.

"What? Oh, that's okay."

"Are ju sure?" Williams boy looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean that I beat your head for no reason," he replied. "And I feel really, really bad for you. I thought you were American, and I'm sorry."

"How'd you know I wasn't?" The tanned man shrugged.

"I just knew," he said. "My name's Miguel." He had a pint of Bluebell ice cream out of nowhere in his hand.

"Ice cream?" Matthew asked him. "Why ice cream?"

"'Cause, ice cream always makes _me_ feel better," Miguel says. "I'm not sure how to give a real apology, but it's worth a shot." He handed the vanilla-flavored ice cream to the Canadian. When he caught sight of it, he beamed with a spark in his eye.

"Hey, I love ice cream," he says. "Thank you. And don't worry about that thing that happened. I almost completely forgot about it."

"Well, I didn't," Miguel replied. "I still feel really upset 'cause of it. I just am…short-tempered, is all. I wish I could make it up to ju." Miguel thought for a moment.

"Oh, what? Oh, I'm sorry, I'm feeling a little…tired today," Matty said. "I'm kind of off-balance."

"That's okay," says the tanned guy. "I was just thinking if ju would want to…ju know, come visit me some time." Williams' smile deformed. Come and visit this guy? He did seem like he was a lot nicer than Matthew thought. But what if it was just another trick? The Canadian took a step back and scratched behind his head.

"It's all right if ju don't want to," Miguel told him. "I was just suggesting it…"

"No that's okay," Matt says. "I _do_ want to visit you. I'm just trying to figure out a day when I'm available." The darker man smirked. Both of them tried to think of the days they'd be free.

"How about…Saturday?" Miguel said.

"Well, I'm kind of busy that day," Matty said. "See, I've got a date to go see a movie on that day."

"Sunday?"

"I'm going out to a restaurant on that day."

"Next Saturday?"

"Well…I don't really have anything planned next weekend," Williams said. "I guess I could come and visit your house."

"Okay, that's good," Miguel said. "And ju don't have to stay for long."

"No, that's fine," Matthew replied. "I'll stay all day."

This remark seemed to make the other guy even happier and he said his goodbye to the younger and ran off. Shaking off the strange feeling, Matthew decided to avoid ignoring the problem that tickled his brain and tried its best to force him to turn back.

_Why did I think that guy was so scary? _He thought to himself. _He was nice enough to invite me over to his own house. I sure hope it's not just some prank he's trying to play on me. _

**~ (^_^) ~**

On the way to the alley, Matty kept talking to himself as if he were the only one walking through the sidewalk. He was tired and nervous about the notification he received not too long ago. He looked at the clock on his phone. It was time to go to sleep. He wished. It was only 4:30. Matthew wondered if he should call Francis and put off this misunderstanding until next day.

_No, _he thought. _I have to meet up with this guy at least once today. I mean, Gilbert would probably want an explanation of why I'm so late. _

A while back, Francis was in a committed relationship with a lovely woman. They'd go out to eat at fancy diners and Matthew was starting to grow sick of seeing his guardian enjoying his own happiness and inviting her over every single day. She was almost taller than him, with her sharp stilettos on. Her skin was peach and eyes were hazel. Her hair was always worn in a reddish-brown bun, matching her natural hair color. She looked like some sort of prostitute. Not saying that Matthew considered her to be. Those were the days he spent locked up in his room, listening to his iPod and distracting himself by writing this humorous journal. The Canadian wrote things in it like all the foul names he really wanted to call that woman right up to her face. That boy's never even _thought _about doing something like that before. With his brother it was no problem. The female had absolutely despised Alfred the moment she heard his voice. He was flat-out honest about what the girl really looked like. Everyone Francis knew was so relieved when he finally ended that whole situation.

"Oh, wait," Matty said. "I can't stay out for long. Francis is still waiting for me. Well, I guess I'll see him tomorrow. He can't be pissed at me now, can he?"

**~ (^_^) ~**

It took Matthew one day when he wasn't so anxious about Gilbert to realize that he had more friends that knew of his existence than before. His brother wasn't so popular anymore. The Canadian didn't have so many people on his side either. Yet one more person favored him each year. The only friends he had back in his old high school was his half-sibling and his foster father. It was the least bit impressive. Now that he had some changes in his appearance, people are starting to notice him more. The boy could remember how geeky he looked all through middle school and halfway through high school. He used to wear glasses with large lens and braces. His hair used to be as long as Francis's was. The small curl he had topping his head was too small to be visible. Matthew was forced to carry the largest books in the school and carried his backpack all day while it weighted him down and made him drag his feet across the floor. Poor Canadian was laughed at, pushed around and bossed around by lots. That kid didn't let it ruin his spirit to do his best in life.

He heard about some poor kids who were so miserable that they quit school, ran as far away as they could, and took their own lives.

The Canadian boy didn't want that.

In general, he was very intrigued in the other students and their own lifestyles. Matthew had recently made friends with the little Italian and his German friend. Feliciano Vargas was once seen holding the German's hand out in the publicity of the school yard. But he was so cute. No one really cared. A lot of people were dying of jealousy. Especially his brother, though he seemed to accompany his Spaniard partner, Antonio all the time. Ivan Braginski was a stalker. Not as bad as his younger sister…they were equally creepy. Mr. Williams was having lots of fun talking to and meeting new people. He really felt as if Bella was a true friend and not just some dumb-minded blonde. She was a real human being.

And his dorky half-brother? Well, let's just say he had his own problems to figure out now. He needed some serious help on his chemistry and biology homework. He was absent more often than usual. It was the constant poor diet he was having! Matthew once asked Arthur why he was letting him fatten himself up and sicken his intestines with that crap. Iggy just told him he couldn't care less what was going on with Alfred's eating habits. Pretty soon it would be Alfred's birthday and Matthew wouldn't want him to be sick and ruin his whole day. Hopefully, Iggy would once again care for Alfie and all the naïve thoughts he has. Besides his brother and all his other peeps, some of his fellow seniors were starting to exchange a hello or goodbye from time to time.

He would often wish his boyfriend was back to being 17 again and went to his high school. He imagined all the fun times he'd have with him if they were taking the same classes and sitting next to each other in World Affairs.

"Hey, Matt!" yelled his brother. "You been sittin' there starin' at the wall forever. What the hell's wrong with you?" When the Canadian was awakened again, he was sitting at the lunch table in the cafeteria. Half the people seated next to him were staring at him. His cheeks turned red.

"Oh, um…it's…nothing….it's just…I was only…nothing." he began to munch on the carrot sticks he was given that afternoon. The boy just remembered he lost his appetite.

"Oh, would you look at that?" he said. "I guess I'm not hungry anymore. I must be off right now." He threw his trash away and started to leave.

"Hey, where d'you think you're going?" someone random called after him. He ignored that person and continued to walk off.

**~ (^_^) ~**

.

Soon, the bell rang for seventh period classes. The Canadian was clutching the phone in his hand. His heart pumped so fast. It felt as if it were going to burst any moment. He didn't know whether he should call back that person or just give it a rest. This boy had just gotten off the phone after the longest, harsh and most complicated phone call with his lover. He walked really slowly as he made the trip back to his class. He couldn't do what he promised his boyfriend he'd do.

_In the classroom_

"Man, I sure hope I got some time to study for my damn chemistry test!" Alfred yelled into the full room.

"Weren't you supposed to do that last night?" Arthur said, angry for no reason. The two boys were sitting in the middle of their math class. Both were forced to sit next to each other since they were most quiet when placed in that position.

"You know me," Alfred replied. "I don't do that stuff on time."

"No, shit," Arthur mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing."

A couple of kids were running to get to their class on time. One of them was Matty. He ran faster than what he was used to. The wind was stealing the air around him. His mouth was so dry. He stopped a moment to get a drink from the fountain in the middle of the room. The boy removed his glasses and wiped them. Then he continued his rush.

"Okay, I'm going to take attendance," the instructor said. "Alfred, I think you're sitting in the wrong place." Alfred looked across the room to where his table was.

"But I don't want to sit next to Iggy!" he whined. "He's annoying." The British guy rolled his eyes, wishing he could speak every single insult he had right in front of the class. He bit his lip to avoid any words slipping out.

"Oh, he won't bite." the instructor says.

"You don't know that!" Alfred says. The teacher glares at him.

"Go sit in your own seat!" The American boy groaned loudly and dragged himself into the seat next to his least favorite. Everyone else acted as if nothing was going on.

"Wait, who's supposed to be sitting in _that_ seat?" the teacher said. "Is he or she absent today?" All the students shrugged or ignored the question. The instructor went on with the rest of the schedule. He didn't even notice when the Polish guy with the long hair got up from his seat and walked over to where his partner was sitting. The Lithuanian guy was poking Feliks's cheeks and tried to push him off as he sat on his lap. The guy wouldn't budge. He turned his body around and wrapped his arms around the small guy. There was also a Swiss guy sitting next to him, listening to his iPod and writing down some extra notes for his next class. His little "sister" was sitting next to him, watching him write down all the stuff he had down. It was so peaceful without Alfred's loud voice. The lecture was about to begin when a burst through the door ruined the silence.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Matthew said, panting. "I lost track of the time…and…and, next thing I knew, I—"

"Wait, who are you again?" the teacher asked.

"…I'm Matthew," the Canadian said. Both of them blinked.

"I've been in this class for a week now." Still no response.

"I sit over _there_?" Then a light bulb went off.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," the teacher said. "I must've forgot about you. Don't have you on my list."

Williams slumped over to his assigned seat and made himself more exhausted by looking exhausted. This wasn't going well for him at all. There wasn't much he could do about it. So here he was, sitting in a two-hour long class waiting for the clock to strike 3:00.


End file.
